Holiday at work

[blondebarbie2001]

My oldest daughter recently had an interview with sainsburys where she was asked all of her pre booked holiday which she told the manager. She then got the job and has to fill out a separate holiday form giving the manager the dates that were given at the interview. However, when filling out the formal holiday form, she forgot to give a date that she needs off of work that she mentioned in her interview. Her manager is rarely in at the same time as her and is the only person who can complete holiday forms. The weekend needed off is the 6-8th of July which is very soon and she does not see her manager for a while. She rung the store and left a note for her line manager but I do not believe that her manager would have completed the form because she is very forgetful. When my oldest daughter spoke to her she said that she will probably need to find someone to swap shifts with however since she is new she doesn't know anybody and I think this is quite unfair.
Anyway background information done. Who is in the wrong here? Is the manager being disorganised in the wrong and not doing a holiday form right then and there or my daughter forgetting to say the dates in the formal filling of the holiday form but mentioning it in the interview and chasing her manager up to add it on? I thought that by law an employer has to honour all predetermined holiday if it is mentioned before the job is offered to them?

OP, I would not assume that the holiday has been agreed if you don't hear!

Good god no, I've never heard of a policy like that. Normally all forms have to be agreed and sent somewhere central to be logged against the rota. It's great that the pp employer does that but it's by no means standard.

I think the reason the policy was brought in was that some managers were really slow at agreeing holiday so you may have been waiting to book with a travel agent and waiting a month or so before you knew if you had the leave or not by which time the deal had gone. Each department manager is responsible for booking their staff holidays and for covering shifts so if they don't decide one way or another in time they are likely to be left short staffed and then face the problems that brings.

Even when my request has timed out I will still tell HR or someone what as happened and that I am now taking my leave in accordance with the policy, I wouldn't just not turn up for work and assume they knew what was happening.

OP once this is sorted your daughter at least needs to get a few holiday forms, or photo copy some, so that she has them to hand without needing to find her manager to get one. Then she can fill them in and leave them for the manager. It cuts out one step in the process and would strongly advise her to join the union (USDAW is the shop workers union. I think you can join on line if she can't find anyone in store). It sounds like they might try to take advantage of her inexperience and she needs someone to fight her corner of necessary.

Oh it's a sensible policy in that sort of environment. I can see why they have it.

Could she write it all down on a bit of paper and leave it for her manager rather than worrying about no formal holiday forms? Maybe if she politely references the interview dates given it will reinforce the message in a positive way. Ie
'Please accept my apologies for omitting the July holiday dates from the form I was requested to complete. I'm hoping since I also submitted them at the interview you are already aware of them and this doesn't cause you any further inconvenience.
Id be very grateful if you could contact me by email/phone to confirm this annual leave request can be granted.
Many thanks, barbies daughter

@LinkyPlease thank you for the advice! I will tell her to do this on Sunday when she is in and if her manager is not in I will get her to right that down on a piece of paper and leave it for her manager

@LinkyPlease thank you for the advice! I will tell her to do this on Sunday when she is in and if her manager is not in I will get her to right that down on a piece of paper and leave it for her manager

Sunday is ages away time is ticking on getting closer to holiday dates why can't she drop a note in after school tomorrow or now sainsburys is open

@june04 if she is not at work, can she just walk into the staff room and give it to the managers office if she is not scheduled it to be in or is that illegal? If she hands it into a supervisor, is there a risk that the note will get lost and not to a manager?

You do seem obsessed with things being a legal requirement or illegal, OP Just get it done.

@Livingmybestlife Unfortunately I have never had a job like this. I have never worked under control of someone in such a way, I have been a managing director for 25+ years so I am unaware of what is allowed and disallowed. I do not want to advise her to do something for her then to receive a disciplinary or worse hence the thread.

As a managing director I would expect you to be acutely aware of what is allowable and what is not!

Of course it's not illegal to give a form into a manager's office, what on earth do you mean?

I work in a different industry. I have awareness of what is required but my company has a more improved communication (my employees can text me when they want holiday lol) I just wasn't aware of the restrictions in a plc because it's quite large and I'm a ltd so obviously their law department would be a lot higher. As a manager, who is busy, I expected elements of professionalism - I have holiday forms ready in my office hence why I asked if there were any legal requirements for waiting for holiday to be granted. No need to jump down my throat. The situation is now under control

@blondebarbie2001 in my store I would just tell the security guard at the front of the store (or at staff reception if her store has one) that I needed to go up to wherever. Some stores need you to sign in and wear a visitor's badge but some don't. That's all she needs to do. If she doesn't want to do that she could go to customer service and ask them to tannoy her manager to come down.

@SweetieBaby thank you for your lovely tone when speaking to me! I am sending her in tomorrow so that she can ask her supervisor if her manager is in. If not she will call on Saturday because she is well aware her manager is in and if nothing is done by Sunday she will leave a note asking for a phone call once the holiday has been rejected or granted

If the manager mentioned swapping shifts, given that it's getting closer to the days she needs off, I'd get her to ask about that too rather than waiting. She doesn't need to ask loads of random people. In retail there's a fair bit of shift swapping and overtime so it's common knowledge which staff are/can be flexible about their shifts. Most people will be able to tell her who's the best person to ask.